CM says lifting of the ban on coal mining is a big victory of the people in Meghalaya

Addressing the 73rd Independence Day function at Polo Grounds on Thursday, Sangma said the judgment will have a positive impact on the economy of the state.

“The recent verdict of the Supreme Court lifting the 2014 ban on coal mining is a big victory for the people of the state. The court has upheld the government’s contention that the indigenous people of Meghalaya have rights over land and extracted mineral,” he said.

Expressing deep satisfaction, Sangma said the government “walked the talk” on the issue and that the judgment is historic and its implications extend beyond the realm of coal mining.

“Perhaps, for the first time anywhere in the country, the government argued for protection of tribal rights, the unique culture and identity of the people before the highest court of the land,” he said.

According to the chief minister, the state has about 576 million tonne of coal deposits and about 9,300 million tonne of limestone deposits.

“The value of all mineral resources of the State is about 180 billion US Dollars. The government is now putting in place systems for sustainable mining so that the present and future generation can reap the benefits of these important resources,” he said.

The chief minister further said that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government’s vision is to capitalise on all the strengths of the state and to take Meghalaya to new heights of development and prosperity in the coming years.

“We are specifically focussing on human development, primary sector rejuvenation, infrastructure expansion, entrepreneurship promotion, environmental protection and governance reform,” he said.

On education, Sangma said we are placing huge emphasis on secondary education. In our state, the total number of students in Secondary schools is 1,04,727 and Higher Secondary schools is 54,739. However, the number of individuals in the age bracket of 15-19 years is 4,03,675.

This means there is a big gap in the number of seats available for children to pursue secondary and higher secondary education.

To bridge this gap, the government is in the process of setting up Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in all blocks of the State.

He said the state is expected to get 25 more Eklavya Model Residential Schools in the next two years, in addition to the 11 that has already been sanctioned.

Each of these residential schools will be constructed at an approximate cost of ₹ 24 crore and will cater to 480 students when fully operational.

He also maintained that the government has decided to set up nine brown field community colleges, for which it will provide a one-time infrastructure grant.

Stating this will address the demand supply gap in higher education, CM said the number of colleges in the state is 71 with an enrolment number of 67,352, while the number of individuals in the age bracket of college goers is 3,85,878.

The CM said another area which the government is deeply concerned about is providing timely pension benefits to all eligible beneficiaries. The Chief Minister’s Social Assistance programme covers 53,573 senior citizens, 30,284 single mothers and 12,000 persons with disabilities.

“We have sanctioned and released, in full, the pending pensions from the year 2017-18 and those for the year 2018-19 for all the beneficiaries. Further, for the first time in the history of the state, we have put in place a system to ensure that pensions are credited to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries in the first week of every month,” he said.

Sangma said the government has placed special emphasis on effective implementation of poverty alleviation programmes and Meghalaya is today one of the top implementers of MGNREGS in the country.

“We have spent about Rs 1000 crore on MGNREGS in the last financial year generating an average of 72 person days of wage employment for all registered job-card holders in the State. We are also prioritizing the construction of pucca houses to all eligible households,” he said.

Informing that in 2018-19, about 4900 houses were constructed at an expenditure of Rs 113 crore, he said, this year, the government targets to construct about 17,200 houses.

Stating that aromatic plants could be a real game changer for the people as they can grow even in waste lands, the CM said the government has launched the Aroma Mission in collaboration with Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CMAP) Lucknow.

“Our immediate goal is to start with Citronella and Lemon Grass plantations in 55 hectares covering all the districts of the State. We will also set up small distillation units that can produce 20-25 kgs of oil,” he said.

He also said the Muga mission will build on our natural advantage in Muga production and focus on value addition.

Sangma said, “A US-based firm has visited the turmeric farms of Shangpung (Jaintia Hills) and discussed the possibilities for bulk procurement. Another San Francisco-based spice company has also expressed desire to source turmeric directly from the farmers,” he added.

By Our Reporter